Conference News Supplements CN Manchester Supplement, June 2018 | Page 7

7
Manchester
“It’s a
reminder of
Manchester’s
role in
suffrage”
Dawn of a revolution
Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst began her revolution at what
is now Manchester’s Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel
BBC documentary about
suffragette leader
Emmeline Pankhurst
provided a poignant
supporting role for Manchester’s
Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel – a
key venue in the historic story of
votes for women.
The Radisson Blu is within the
former Free Trade Hall in Peter
Street, Manchester, where the first
public meeting on women’s suffrage
took place in 1868. The militant
campaign for votes for women
subsequently began after two
leading members of the Women’s
Social and Political Union, Annie
Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst,
were arrested after disrupting a
meeting in the Free Trade Hall in
1905.
Set for broadcast in June,
Emmeline Pankhurst: Making of a
Militant received a premiere
screening in front of 400 guests at
the Radisson Blu. The hotel also
provided the backdrop for actress
and presenter Sally Lindsay’s
documentary interviews with experts
on the suffrage story, including the
suffragette leader’s relatives. Mayor
of Manchester Andy Burnham was
also in attendance.
Emmeline Pankhurst: Making of a
Militant was commissioned by the
BBC based at MediaCityUK in
Manchester and made by
independent producer Saffron
Cherry TV working with TV production
company Lion Eyes TV. Both
companies are based in Manchester.
Marketing Manchester is
Above: Andy Burnham, mayor
of Manchester, and presenter
Sally Lindsay
www.conference-news.co.uk
supporting Making of a Militant as
part of its #RadicalManchester
campaign to mark the centenary of
votes for women and celebrating
Manchester’s role as the birthplace
of innovation and progress. The
programme is being promoted on
social media using the hashtag
#BeMoreEmmeline.
Ryan Thompson, commercial
manager at the Radisson Blu
Edwardian Manchester Hotel said:
“We are extremely proud to work in
such an iconic building with a rich
political history. The Free Trade Hall
has a strong sense of place within
Manchester and we are honoured
that our guests enjoy learning about
past events from the exciting history
of the city, whether they are here on
business or enjoying a leisure trip.”
Sheona Southern, managing
director of Marketing Manchester,
said: “Revealing fascinating detail
about the life of suffragette leader
Emmeline Pankhurst, Making of a
Militant provides a timely reminder of
Manchester’s role in the story of
women’s suffrage.
The Free Trade Hall premiere of
Emmeline Pankhurst: The Making Of
A Militant concluded with a Q&A
session with Emmeline Pankhurst’s
great-granddaughter, Dr Helen
Pankhurst, Sally Lindsay, and
producer/director Helen Tither.
Lindsay says that Manchester was
‘massively’ important in making
Emmeline Pankhurst the iconic figure
she is today and that it was a
privilege to have been able to find
out more about her life.